A Promise of Restoration
“Remember then what you received and heard; obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. 4 Yet you have still a few persons in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes; they will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.” - Revelation 3:3-4
When Christ stands at your door and knocks, if you are faithful and to answer, you will receive what He has to offer. He will not force His way in. He will not beat down the door. We must let Him in. And we are likely to do that when we understand what Christ is offering to each of us at the door.
God offers the promise of restoration. John opens chapter three of Revelation with a message to the church of Sardis. This once wealthy and powerful city had, by the time of John’s revelation, been devastated by foreign domination, natural disaster, idolatry, and financial indebtedness to Rome. It was a place ripe for the Gospel, as is the case quite often when people are faced with bad news.
In these times, there was a great opportunity for good news, and the church planted in Sardis thrived and grew because of this. The problem with the church at Sardis was that its growth was purely numerical and not spiritual. They had a lot of bodies in the building, a lot of people in the pews, and a very nice edifice in town.
It was the happening place to be, according to verse one. It had a great name around town. Everyone talked about the church—its campus, its brand, its profile, its program, and its facilities. However, despite having a name and reputation around town for being alive, it was spiritually dead.
However, in Revelations 3:4, Jesus recognized the remnant of believers who remained faithful and encouraged repentance in order to receive restoration.
So many of us have experienced Sardis. We go through the motions, but spiritually we are not being moved. We are not growing. We are not being fulfilled in our walk with Christ. The crisis we are in is testing our faith, deepening our doubts, and challenging our convictions. We are living, but spiritually, our faith is dead.
God intends for the substance of who we are to outweigh what we present on the surface. So He encourages us to remain faithful and stay in communion with Him, so He can restore us. Do not remain spiritually dead in your faith. Allow God to restore you today and find what He has to offer on the other side of the door!
When Christ stands at your door and knocks, if you are faithful and to answer, you will receive what He has to offer. He will not force His way in. He will not beat down the door. We must let Him in. And we are likely to do that when we understand what Christ is offering to each of us at the door.
God offers the promise of restoration. John opens chapter three of Revelation with a message to the church of Sardis. This once wealthy and powerful city had, by the time of John’s revelation, been devastated by foreign domination, natural disaster, idolatry, and financial indebtedness to Rome. It was a place ripe for the Gospel, as is the case quite often when people are faced with bad news.
In these times, there was a great opportunity for good news, and the church planted in Sardis thrived and grew because of this. The problem with the church at Sardis was that its growth was purely numerical and not spiritual. They had a lot of bodies in the building, a lot of people in the pews, and a very nice edifice in town.
It was the happening place to be, according to verse one. It had a great name around town. Everyone talked about the church—its campus, its brand, its profile, its program, and its facilities. However, despite having a name and reputation around town for being alive, it was spiritually dead.
However, in Revelations 3:4, Jesus recognized the remnant of believers who remained faithful and encouraged repentance in order to receive restoration.
So many of us have experienced Sardis. We go through the motions, but spiritually we are not being moved. We are not growing. We are not being fulfilled in our walk with Christ. The crisis we are in is testing our faith, deepening our doubts, and challenging our convictions. We are living, but spiritually, our faith is dead.
God intends for the substance of who we are to outweigh what we present on the surface. So He encourages us to remain faithful and stay in communion with Him, so He can restore us. Do not remain spiritually dead in your faith. Allow God to restore you today and find what He has to offer on the other side of the door!
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Let it GoA Prayer for RestorationThe Power of Self-ForgivenessEmbracing FreedomFrom Transgression to RedemptionRelease and FreedomWisdom in ReflectionBlessed Assurance in ForgivenessEmbracing Divine RestTrusting in the WaitingEmbracing Peace in Unresolved MomentsMoving Forward Without ClosureA New Chapter AwaitsRefocusing for a New ChapterThe Danger of Looking BackLet God Be Your DefenseGod's Victory, Not OursThe Author of Your New ChapterThe Faithful Promise KeeperA Promise UnveiledThe Urgency of ObedienceThe University of AdversityThriving in AdversityForging the Future YouTransformative Power of AdversityThe Role of ResilienceThe Gift of EmpathyChanging PerspectiveGod's Purpose in Your AdversityThe Anchoring Power of TrustConsistent in Prayer, Unwavering in Praise
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